Til Death, Do I Part?
by Natsu.Arisu
Summary: Ryo gets into a fatal accident, and is sent to the afterlife...for now, at least. He encounters Bakura, and is faced with the most life-changing decision...Literally. Inspired by Afterlife by A7X.
1. Prologue: Afterlife

When I was a child, I always wondered what it would be like when I died.

Well, I wouldn't say always…I actually became aware of death when my dear sister and mother had died.

I could almost remember the day of the funeral as a vivid picture in my mind. I remember looking over that casket, not quite realizing the sadness I was feeling. I don't remember crying until a few days later.

I remember driving home from the funeral. I sat in the back, in my uncomfortable shirt, pants, and shoes. I scratched my sleeves.

"Daddy?" I said.

"Yes, Ryo?" My father replied. He was sitting in front, driving us.

"Where did Mommy and Amane go?"

I heard my father swallow. "…What do you mean?"

"When they got hurt really bad and didn't wake up. Where did their awake-ness go?"

"Well, it…depends."

"What do you mean?" I questioned. (I now know he was most likely talking about Heaven and Hell at the time, though I couldn't imagine why Amane and Mum would ever end up in Hell…)

"Well…are you learning about the Egyptians in school, son?" he hesitantly asked.

"Yeah," I responded excitedly. "When they die, people give them stuff so that they have it in the afterlife," I proudly stated, wanting to show off my knowledge to my father.

"Exactly that," my father said. "Afterlife…," he mumbled a bit. It was still enough for me to hear, though.

At that moment, I finally realized what really happened to Amane and Mum. "…Ah," I simply said.

I believe I was such an innocent little child, back then.


	2. Chapter 1: 'Til Death

(A/N:) Originally posted on dA. Hints of tendershipping (BakuraxRyo) and angstshipping (MalikxRyo).

yadonushi = host, landlord. Amane = Ryo's dead sister, mentioned only in the manga.

Song playing on the radio is It Ends Tonight by All-American Rejects.

* * *

I was nineteen years old. It was a bit of a blur, almost like a dream. But I feel like it really happened. I really do. I tried telling Malik about it, but he just said that it was just a dream and my mind was probably under stress then; which was what I thought at first too, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed real to me. I even tried telling Yugi, but he said the same thing.

It was raining, and I was driving home from the library, where I was trying to catch up on my studies. I still lived in an apartment complex, because I found it easier to live alone in my apartment than live in a dorm with a roommate.

The rain was falling hard. It was only five o' clock, and it was already dark as midnight outside. I sat in the driver's seat, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel as I waited for the light to turn red to green. My eyes followed the windshield wipers, as they moved back and forth and made squeaking sounds every so often. I sighed and glanced at the stoplight, which was still red. I turned up the radio a bit to keep myself amused. After finding a station that caught my interest, I put my hand back on the wheel. I hummed along to the current song playing, since I didn't know the actual words.

_…When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight, it ends tonight. Just a little insight, will make this right—too late to fight, it ends tonight, it ends…_

I pressed the gas pedal as the light finally turned green. As I turned a corner, the song came to a close and a new one played. I was about to change the station, when I suddenly saw a swerving car in the corner of my eye.

_Crash._

* * *

_Eyes wide open, seeing nothing. Blood trickling down my forehead, fingers faintly twitching and grasping at life._

* * *

I opened my eyes. Everything was dark, and I sat up, terrified. My head darted around, searching for something—anything. I felt blind.

Previous events reoccurred to me, and a shiver went up my spine. My breathing became shallow and my body shook. _Am I…dead?_

My hands slowly reached up and grabbed fistfuls of my snow white hair. I brought my knees up to my chest, slowly rocking back and forth. I whimpered. _I-I can't be dead, I-I'm not dead, th-there's no way I-I'm…_

My mind was reeling, and I felt sick. I could literally feel myself becoming insane, bit by bit, the more I thought about it. I was too petrified for words.

I jumped as I suddenly felt something on my shoulder. I was afraid to turn around and find who was behind me. Would I see Death? Maybe a ghost relative? Or—

"Yadonushi?"

I froze. My eyes widened. That…that wasn't…There's no way…

"Ryo, is that you?"

The one behind me turned me around, and my mouth nearly dropped. "B…Bakura?!"

"Oh, God, Ryo, it's you!" The wild-haired man threw his arms around me, and my eyes remained as wide as ever. I couldn't believe it.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it, you're here…You're here…Ryo…you have no idea…" Bakura was mumbling incoherently, and I was still left speechless. Wait…

_…If Bakura's here, then…I really am…_

Bakura let go of me, but kept his hands on my shoulders. "Ryo, you're…you're…de…?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, I found myself bursting into tears. I began to sob uncontrollably, and I felt Bakura suddenly bring me into his embrace again.

"Shh, Ryo, don't cry, you don't need to cry…" Bakura's words were rendered useless, for I kept crying. My body shook, and my sobs were evident and loud.

It felt like I had cried for a million years when I finally looked up at Bakura's face. My breath was still shaky, and I knew my eyes were probably red.

Bakura wiped my tear-streaked face. "Ryo…" He simply stared in my eyes. I stared back, not sure of what to say. Bakura then took my hand, and squeezed it. He placed his other hand on my chest, where my…heart would be.

Bakura stared at my chest in silence. "…You still have a heartbeat."

My eyes widened, and I looked down at where his hand was. I quickly put my hand on where his heart would be, and…

…I felt nothing.

Bakura looked at me with sad eyes and a sad smile. "I'm dead, yadonushi. Completely. I have been for longer that you think." The hand he had on my chest moved up to stroke my face.

I lowered my gaze and stared down at the black emptiness. "…I know."

We sat there in silence, and Bakura decided to break it.

"So…it means…that—"

"I'm not dead," I finished for him. I looked up.

"Y…Yeah," he responded.

I sat there for a bit, staring at him. I gave a little scoff.

"So…all that crying for nothing," I laughed at myself. "So, am I on the thin line between life and death right now, or what?" I said a bit sarcastically.

"Actually, yes," Bakura responded, cocking his head to the side. "Do you…recall what happened?"

I stared at my hands in my lap, and then slowly stood up. "Well…I was driving…and I guess some idiot drunk driver decided to crash into me." I smiled, as if it were a joke.

Bakura stood up with me and crossed his arms. "That's an idiot, all right," he smirked. Our heights were exactly the same. "Who would crash into my cute little yadonushi?" He reached over and pinched my cheek playfully.

I swatted his hand away. "Quit it," I spat. But I still had a smile on my face. I may have been possibly dying at the moment, but…I was with Bakura. That made everything…a bit better.

Bakura gazed at me for a moment or two, then took my hand. "Come with me."

He started to walk, and I followed. Gradually, the blackness was disappearing. It occurred to me the strange fact that I was able to see Bakura and my own self in that darkness, but the thought escaped my mind when we were suddenly in a dimly lit room.

"Here we are," Bakura said, satisfied.

"Where…are we?" I questioned. I looked around the large room, and upon a single wall was an enormous amount of framed photos. At a closer look, I saw they were photos of me, my father, Amane, Mum…

Bakura stood next to me, as I gazed up in awe in the number of photos. Bakura looked up at them as well.

"These are….you could say…'photos of your life'," Bakura said. "This room...you could think of it as a soul room of your life."

Soul room…As in the one that was within my mind? "So…am I just unconscious right now? Or what?"

"You were right earlier—you're between life and death. Hanging by a thread." He turned around, and walked towards a tall mirror on the other side of the room.

I turned around to see what he was doing, when an image suddenly appeared on the glass. My eyes widened when I saw the image.

I was lying on a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around my head and other parts of my body. I was connected to an IV and all sorts of machines, and my chest rose up and down slowly.

"Quite a mess you're in," Bakura suddenly spoke. He clicked his tongue. The image panned out, allowing me to see the entire room.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Bakura made an amused grin.

I tried to figure out what he was talking about, then saw it. Malik was sitting by the bed, biting his lip. His hand was locked in mine.

"Please stay strong," Malik barely whispered.

I could've sworn I saw a tear then, but the image soon disappeared before I could confirm it.

I was staring at the ground, a bit shaken up of what I just saw. I felt Bakura wrap his arms around me, but I made no response.

"You don't have to go back," Bakura said softly. "You can stay here."

His arms squeezed me tighter.

"…With me."

I don't think I've ever been faced with such a difficult decision in my life. Or death.


	3. Chapter 2: Do I Part?

(A/N:) Originally posted on dA. Hints of tendershipping (BakuraxRyo) and angstshipping (MalikxRyo).

* * *

"…This is the afterlife, isn't it?" I said with a bit of callousness.

"…Yes," Bakura responded. He combed his fingers through my messy hair. "You can die and stay here, or leave here and continue living."

"So…," I started, looking up at him, "…this all depends on my will to live or not?"

Bakura smiled. I sensed his old malice in the smile. "Exactly," he said. "You're a smart little thing; I knew you'd understand it quickly."

"I…" I looked down again, and said quietly, "…I want to live."

I felt my chin jerk upwards, and Bakura gripped my chin a little too tightly. Although we were at eye level, his look still seemed intimidating at the moment. "If you live, you'll never see me again," he said coldly and candidly.

Something clicked in my mind when he said this. "…Oh," I said dumbly.

The smile returned on his face. "I suggest you think about it instead of making such quick decisions," he said smoothly. He left a swift and light kiss on my lips, leaving me wide-eyed and with color on my cheeks. Bakura strode over to the other side of the room, and looked up at the framed pictures again.

"If you want to live, you must confirm this as so within twenty-four hours," Bakura explained, without looking back at me. "And that's twenty-four hours in the human world, mind you. In the spirit world, or afterlife, or whatever you want to call it—it feels like a few days or so. Actually, it feels like no time goes by at all. So…no pressure, really." Bakura paused, and turned around to smile at me. "But I'm sure you'll make the right decision, yadonushi."

I simply looked back at him, not saying anything.

* * *

What felt like days went by. But remembering what Bakura said about the time here, I realized that it was probably only a few hours in the human world. I remained in my so-called soul room, and conveniently, there was a small bed. I spent my time lying on that bed, getting up every so often to look at the framed photos. Bakura would come in and out every few hours or minutes, checking up on me.

"You okay, Ryo?" he would ask.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking," I would respond.

"Alright," he would say, and give me a smile. A few times he walked over and gave me a small kiss on the forehead and told me things like, "You're a smart kid, you can make the right decision," or something like, "Don't overthink it or anything."

I think he told me he loved me once, but he said it so quietly that I couldn't understand.

After that, he would leave and let me be.

He never told me where he was going or where he had been.

* * *

I laid quietly on the bed, on my back and hands behind my head. I stared at the high ceiling, trying to think.

However, I couldn't think straight at all. My thoughts felt so jumbled as I tried to comprehend everything. I thought of the pros and cons, but it didn't help much.

_If I died and stayed here, I'd be with Bakura. Bakura would be happy. I would be happy too, I suppose. But if I die, won't Malik be sad? Wasn't he crying? I don't know. I'd also be leaving my other friends behind, wouldn't I? But if I lived, won't Bakura be sad? Will I be sad? I don't…_

I groaned out loud in frustration. I was near to pulling my hair out.

The door opened a crack. "How're you doing?"

"…Just fine. Just thinking."

"Okay." The door creaked shut after a moment's pause.

I glanced over at the door where Bakura just was, and thoughts started coming to me again.

_Why is he asking so much? Does he want me to stay? Or is he eager to get rid of me? Do I want to stay? Do I want to leave? Do I…_

I groaned again. I sat up, staring at the wall adorned with the framed photos.

"…Bakura?" I shouted. I didn't know if I was allowed to leave the room or not.

The door almost immediately opened. I wondered if Bakura was just standing outside the door the whole time. "Yes? What is it?" He sounded eager.

I stared at him, and he stared back intently. He closed the door behind him slowly. "What's wrong?" he spoke up.

"…Sit down," I said. I sat cross-legged on the bed, and Bakura proceeded to sit on the edge.

"What is it?" Bakura repeated his earlier question.

"…Do you want me to stay?" I asked a bit boldly. I didn't want to beat around the bush.

Bakura seemed a bit disturbed by the question, but opened his mouth to respond, "Of course I do."

Everything seemed confusing to me at that moment. I sighed, and stated my next question. "…Why?"

Bakura cocked his head to the side, his face looking like he was worried. "Because I love you. Didn't you hear me earlier?"

You barely whispered it, I thought. How was I supposed to know? "Um…yeah, sure. I-I guess I just forgot for a moment," I stuttered a bit.

Bakura smiled and stroked my face. "You're so cute…" He leaned in closer, and kissed me on the lips.

* * *

My face was buried in the pillows, and I was as confused as ever.

_What do I do? What should I do? What do I want to do? Argh!!_

I almost actually screamed out loud in the midst of my never-ending frustration. Luckily I didn't.

Unexpectedly, my mind clicked.

* * *

There was a knock at the door, and Bakura walked in. I was a bit surprised he actually knocked this time.

"Hey, yadonushi," he said, "I don't mean to rush you, but…" He walked over to me, and sat on the edge of my bed. "…You have about half an hour left."

Half an hour, I thought to myself. That was fast.

"…Bakura?" I said, muffled. My face was still in the pillows.

"Yes?" he responded.

"…What will happen if I don't confirm I want to live?"

Bakura paused. "…You'll die."

"…Oh."

It was silent again, and the aura was a bit uneasy. I turned over to look at Bakura, and he was staring at the floor.

"…Bakura, I…I've made my decision," I said openly, and sat up.

"You have?" he suddenly perked up, which seemed a bit out-of character for him. He looked at me, his eagerness evident in his eyes. "So, what have you decided?"

I took in a deep breath before speaking again. "…I want to live."

Bakura's face fell. "…I see."

Seeing the disappointment in his face, I tried to make him feel better. "I-it's not that I don't want to stay, I-I just…" I gingerly placed my hand over his. "…It's just that…I have so much to live for. So much ahead of me…So much to do…" I squeezed his hand a little bit. "But…I will miss you."

Bakura glanced at me, then looked back at the floor again. "…I'll miss you too," he said a bit monotonously.

I paused. Something felt wrong. Isn't he disappointed? I thought he would've at least protested, or something. Or is he purposely doing this to make me change my mind? To make me feel bad? Is he…

"Bakura?" I said. "Are you alright?" I moved my hand up to his shoulder.

I flinched when I heard a chuckle escape from his lips. The chuckles became louder, and became little fits of giggles. Finally, his head was thrown back, laughing. _Laughing._ My eyes widened.

"Bakura?"

"Ohhh yadonushi…" Bakura went into another fit of giggles. "You can't leave here! This is the land of the dead! You're dead! I'm dead! We're all dead!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Bakura…"

Bakura's wild eyes looked at me. "You can't leave!" He said. "You can't leave! You can't…leave…" His wild expression suddenly became serious. "…You can't leave."

"Bakura," I said, "stop being ridiculous—" I made a small shriek as Bakura suddenly pinned me down to the bed.

"You. Can't. Leave," he said darkly.

My eyes widened, and my body tensed up. He was dead serious.

"You can't leave here. You can't leave here, yadonushi. I'm telling you, you can't leave here. You can't leave…" Bakura trailed off. "…You can't leave…me…" His expression went soft, and he started to lean in to kiss me.

I stopped him. I sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Bakura, I've made my decision. I want to live."

Bakura was silent. He stared at me for the longest time.

Suddenly, it was like a bomb dropped.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE!! YOU CAN'T FUCKING LEAVE ME!!" Bakura suddenly screamed. He grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me violently. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT HELL I'VE GONE THROUGH?! I'VE BEEN _ALONE_ HERE ALL THIS TIME!! I'VE BEEN GOING _INSANE_!! EVEN MORE INSANE THAN I ALREADY AM!! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, RYO?! YOU CAN'T LEAVE!! YOU JUST _CAN'T_!! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE!! YOU…" His voice trailed off again, and he stopped shaking me. His eyebrows were furrowed and he seemed angry beyond belief, but his eyes told me what he was really feeling. His expression softened. He looked down, suddenly quiet.

Then he started crying. And I found no words to comfort him.

* * *

It was white. Everything was white. It was like there were giant lights all around, so that you saw nothing but the white lights emitting from them. Somehow, I was not blinded.

I stood in front of Bakura, who was looking down. I knew for a fact that he didn't want to see me leave.

I wanted to say something, but couldn't find anything profound or meaningful enough to say to him. Nice seeing you again? Hope to see you again when I die? Never forget me? None of it seemed right to me. I decided to keep it simple.

"…Goodbye, Bakura," I said softly. He made no sound. I slowly walked towards him, and wrapped my arms around him. I felt him grip on the back of my shirt. I was a bit afraid he would start bursting into tears again, but he didn't.

Slowly and a bit hesitantly, I pulled away. I tightly held his hand for a moment, staring at him intently. He still didn't look up.

"…Goodbye," I repeated even more softly. I walked away, letting our hands linger together a little longer.

I walked towards what seemed like nowhere, but would indeed get me somewhere.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, and I groaned in pain. My head was throbbing.

"R…Ryo?"

I glanced to my side, and saw the familiar blonde.

"Hey…Malik…," I said weakly. I made a weak smile.

"Ryo!!" He threw his arms around my neck. "I was so worried about you!! I was afraid that…that you…"

"Ow…Hey, I'm alright, okay? Just let go so I can breathe for a sec," I jokingly said.

"Oops, sorry," he said, letting go. "I'm just…really happy you're okay," he smiled.

I smiled back. "Me too."

* * *

That was a year ago. It feels like it happened yesterday, though, like most memories seem to be…

Now here I lie, in my bed, reminiscing. I can't help but wonder if it mattered if I happened to get into another accident, or some other life-threatening situation, and return to the afterlife. Would I choose to live again? Would I choose to die? I'll never know.

I just know that I need to keep living for now, until it's the proper time.


	4. Epilogue: Never Do We Part

(A/N:) Originally posted on dA. Hints of tendershipping (BakuraxRyo).

* * *

The loneliness is painful.

I can't help but feel myself become more insane than I already am as I sit here, alone, in the dead silence.

Why did he have to choose to live?

He could've stayed here with me.

I told him I loved him, so why did he leave me?

Sure he had his life ahead of him, blah, blah, but still!

Why?!

"Why did you do it, Ryo?" I said out loud. "It would've been wonderful with us together, for eternity." I pause. "Did you lie? Did you not want to be with me? Haha! I suppose I'll never know, will I?!"

I'm so used to talking to myself now. That's how lonely and insane I've become! _You_ try being alone for God knows how long without the one and only person you prefer to be with!

"…Oh well!" I throw my hands up in the air. "I guess I'll wait until you're hanging by a thread again. Or just plain dead." I chuckle.

Not only is the loneliness painful, but simply knowing that I could've convinced you to stay hurts.

It hurts me so much, Ryo. I wish I said something that made you want to truly stay, so that we could be happy together—just you and me, and no one else.

I miss you, my host. I really do.

Come back soon, so we can be together again.

So that we can be together for eternity.

In complete and utter death, do we not part.


End file.
